Denver Broncos: Chad Kelly shines in preseason debut

Denver Broncos first-year quarterback Chad Kelly shined in his preseason debut after most other offensive players seemed to struggle…

After the Denver Broncos put together an abysmal half of offense to start their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, third-string — soon-to-be-backup — quarterback Chad Kelly came in and stole the show.

Kelly helped give the Broncos a lead in the fourth quarter before former Bronco third-stringer Kyle Sloter led the Vikings to another lead, and Kelly came out and tried to force a throw that was picked off after that.

But before he was picked off, Kelly really put on a show and may have permanently pushed himself ahead of Paxton Lynch for the Broncos’ top backup job.

Kelly came in for his first NFL drive and finished a perfect 3-of-3 passing and this touchdown pass to tight end Matt LaCosse on a perfectly executed wheel route.

There was nothing jaw-dropping about this throw, but the execution on the plays prior to this throw was as clear an indicator as any that Kelly has a much better feel for the game of football in general than does Paxton Lynch.

After Kelly’s first touchdown drive, he marched the Broncos right back down the field for another, making some nice plays on third down with his arm and legs, and hitting Phillip Lindsay for this third-and-long touchdown pass:

Despite the fact that he threw an interception trying to make a play on the next drive, it was a stellar debut for the former Mr. Irrelevant.

Kelly looked comfortable, confident, showed off his arm strength and mobility, and overall did a very good job.

As far as the backup quarterback competition, it’s abundantly clear that Lynch is not the answer. Kelly may not ultimately inspire the most confidence for the Broncos behind Case Keenum, but that was their own fault for trading away Trevor Siemian, who could have been a cheap, experienced backup at a much cheaper rate (and much better) than Paxton Lynch.

If the team feels the need to get a veteran after this game it would surprise no one, but the signs of development for Kelly are very positive.